Matthew BaileyWe first covered Gloomies back at UKGE, where it instantly stood out as one of the most charming games of the show. But with its cosy, nighttime sorta spooky feel, it felt like the perfect time to revisit it properly as part of this year’s Halloween Spooktacular.
From the same creative team behind Mycelia (The Ravensburger cute one), Gloomies brings back that same warmth, whimsy and irresistible artwork from Justin Chan (you might recognise his work from Century: Golem Edition). Instead of mushrooms and rainfall, you are now growing and harvesting galactic flowers for a group of creatures from outer space called Gloomies.
The game plays out across two distinct halves: the daytime growth phase and the nighttime harvest phases.
You begin with a small hand of flower cards, planting them across your player board from left to right. Each turn, you can play up to three flowers, slotting them neatly into columns to start forming your rows of blossoms. When you have finished planting, you claim the token sitting at the far left of the board. This might be a cheeky little Helper that gives you bonus actions later, a new Gloomie order for decorating with flowers later on, or some sparkly Stardust that is worth points. Those tokens then slide and flip to the opposite side of the board, keeping the rhythm of play smooth and satisfying.
The trick here is balance. You want to spread your colours evenly, thinking ahead to what you will want to harvest later. Once you have grown six flowers in every column, the sun sets and it is time for the nighttime party.
Flip your board, dim the lights and prepare to harvest. Now you will use the flowers you have lovingly grown to fulfil Gloomie orders, decorate your alien friends and build the most dazzling collection of interstellar bouquets possible.
It is a clever inversion of the first phase. Where you were building outwards before, now you are working inwards, trying to chain bonuses and maximise scoring combinations. There is a neat sense of symmetry to it that makes everything click.
Gloomies looks fantastic on the table. The characters are full of personality, the artwork is vibrant and colourful without being over the top, and the components feel solid and well made. The wooden tokens and flower pieces have a nice tactile quality to them and the small wooden tray helps keep everything tidy. Getting everything back in the box with the stock insert is a bit of a pain as there doesn’t seem to be enough space for everything, but it’s fine.
Gloomies is a light to medium game that mixes thoughtful planning with a relaxed, friendly pace. It is easy to teach, satisfying to play and has plenty of small choices that keep you engaged from start to finish. It never feels rushed, and there is a calm, almost meditative quality to how the two halves flow into each other.
Revisiting it for the Halloween Spooktacular has reminded me just how well put together it is. Gloomies is definitely a great game to play as the clocks change and the early nights start to draw in.
